Top Draw

November 5, 1985

CHURCHILL, MANITOBA — What town would call a dump its No. 1 tourist attraction? Churchill would. The port city of 1,700 people, about 1,000 miles north of Minneapolis, draws hundreds of tourists each fall when polar bears wander through in large numbers. Businessmen say the best spot to watch the bears is the dump, where they go for snacks. But many of the bears are being captured and impounded because provincial wildlife officials fear someone may get hurt. Businessmen growl that it will hurt tourism. But a wildlife official said, ''There's no point waiting for a bear to become a problem.'' One bear did in 1983 when it killed a tourist.